#37: Ida Mckinley

Ida McKinley shares a tragic narrative akin to First Ladies Mary Todd Lincoln and Jackie Kennedy, making her one of the most heartrending figures in American history. Long before her husband, William McKinley, assumed the presidency, Ida’s life was marked by sorrow. The loss of their two daughters, Katherine “Katie” McKinley and Ida McKinley, at a tender age left her shattered.

As First Lady, her husband’s protectiveness shielded her from societal expectations, a role he continued even after ascending to the presidency. The devastating climax arrived with McKinley’s assassination in 1901, dealing Ida yet another profound emotional blow that left her bereft of the will to carry on. Less than six years later, she followed her husband in death.